I study how social factors influence processes of economic development in emerging markets. While most sociological research on economic development focuses on macro-level forces like states and institutions, I take a decidedly micro approach. I explore how factors like personal relationships, status characteristics, household constraints, and spatial location shape economic outcomes for entrepreneurs and organizations. I often mix methods, using ethnography and interviews to understand mechanisms on the ground, and then analyze large-scale databases to track aggregate effects.

(I discuss my research and the questions that motivate me in an interview here.)

Journal Articles

Doering, Laura. “Risks, Returns, and Relational Lending: Personal Ties in Microfinance”Forthcoming 2018 in the American Journal of Sociology